Bentley pimps the SUV

Bentley has thrown traditional British understatement out of the window with a new SUV model unlike any Bentley that has come before it.

The high-riding EXP9F concept SUV bears the "unmistakably" Bentley front end, but adds lashings of chrome for a look that would make a rapper blush.

The new all-wheel-drive wagon is expected to become a production reality within years.

The car's design boasts the company's trademark round googly-eyed headlights encased in the front quarter panels dominating the fascia. They sit alongside a gaping grille and above a pair of daytime running lights with integrated cold air intakes for the car's engine. In a nod to the car's apparent off-road ability, there's an underbody guard on the bottom lip of the front bumper.

The uber-SUV rides on 23-inch wheels designed to look like turbine blades, while Bentley's must-have chunky rear wheel arches add to the car's bulky stance. The roofline looks inspired by the Range Rover Sport, and the rear even gets a practical split-fold tailgate which houses LED tail-lights with an oval-shaped turbine-style inlay.

The wide exhaust tips also adopt an ovoid look.

The fold-down section of the boot is designed to double as a picnic table or park bench, and the EXP9F concept even gets integrated picnic hampers and an awning that slides out keep the day-trippers dry. If that fails, there's also a pair of umbrellas in the back.

The cabin is what Bentley describes as a "4+1 seat" layout, with four sculpted bucket seats lined with quilted leather designed to appear like a "traditional British field sport jacket", and a centre rear seat for emergencies. If there's no need for a fifth passenger, the middle rear spot hides a cooled console - ideal for champagne, apparently.

Up front, the Bentley SUV gets the typical wood and metal mix on the dash, centre console, doors and steering wheel, while a modern looking touch-screen media system and digital instrument cluster displays give it a more contemporary look. While most Bentleys are trimmed with soft, supple leather, the EXP9F's seat backs, load space and dash-top are trimmed in hard-wearing saddle leather.

Under the bonnet, the EXP9F SUV concept is powered by Bentley's well-known 6.0-litre twin-turbo W12 engine developing about 450kW and 800Nm. It's mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission, and sends its power to all four wheels.

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However, despite the concept being fitted with Bentley's benchmark engine, the brand has suggested that any production model that may stem from this concept car could also be offered with the choice of a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8, or an America-friendly hybrid drivetrain (the details of which have not yet been divulged - though it would likely be borrowed from the VW Group).

The concept is the strongest indication yet that an SUV could be the third - and possibly most popular - model line for Bentley. Bentley board member for sales and marketing, Alasdair Stewart, consolidated the case for a production version of the car.

"A Bentley Grand Tourer doesn't necessarily have to be a coupé, a convertible or a saloon - it could equally well be an SUV. What's important is that it should be true to Bentley's brand values and in line with the desires and needs of our customers," Stewart says.